(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to training devices and methods, and more particularly to automatic non-punitive, positive reinforcement-based training device and method.
(b) Description of Prior Art
People have been domesticating and training animals for ten thousand years, whereby desired behaviors have been increased by reward or discontinuing punishment and undesired behavior reduced or eliminated by punishment or discontinuing reward. Throughout the twentieth century, punishment techniques have been by far the most common approach for decreasing undesired behaviors such as aggression, excessive vocalization and activity, intractability and inappropriate elimination. Surprisingly though, punishment and negative reinforcement (the discontinuance of punishment when the animal gives in and complies) techniques also have been the most common approach for "teaching" desired behaviors. Dogs have been taught to heel, sit and lie down by punishment with repetitive leash jerks using metal choke chains and spiked, pinch collars. Dogs have also been taught to retrieve objects through negative reinforcement by pinching their ears with pliers and other metal tools and releasing the pressure when they grasp the retrieval object.
A vast and scary array of "training tools" has been developed to give a trainer the mechanical advantage when administering punishment and negative reinforcement. Such tools include canes, clubs, whips, twitches, electric cattle prods, electronic shock collars and all sorts of metal collars, spurs, bits and restraints. Apart from being unpleasant, an over reliance on punishment in training has a significant side effect. Namely, the trainee quickly associates the aversive and unpleasant stimuli with the trainer and so learns that there are times when it needs not comply, for example when at liberty and out of reach, or when the trainer is absent. Consequently, numerous products have been developed to allow the trainer to punish animal at a distance, or for automated punishment of the animal in the owner's absence. However, prior training of the animal and/or the trainer is necessary for these products to work effectively and to ensure that the products are used safely and humanely.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,682 issued to Gonda et al. on Jun. 22, 1982 describes a collar activated with a remote control and that emits electrical shocks followed by sounds. U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,324 issued to Moore on May 12, 1998 describes a collar producing high-frequency sound bursts upon barking of the dog and is also activated with a remote control.
Such devices ignore the performing of desired behaviors by the animal. Moreover, the animal is frightened by the stimulus, which increases its stress level, affects its learning and general well-being, and causes exhibition of other negative behaviors such as avoidance and aggressiveness.
Devices combining punishment and positive reinforcement are also in use. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,939 issued to Robart et al. on Sep. 22, 1998 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,645 issued to Cole on Oct. 22, 1996 describe bridle bits which also dispense pleasant fluids in the horse's mouth. However, the combination of punishment and positive reinforcement confuses the animal. Moreover, the bridle bit is usable only with bitable animals.
Other electronic collars use recordings of the trainer's praise, shouts and instructions to encourage quietness and discourage barking. There are two major problems with such collars. First, considerable pretraining is necessary for the dog to understand the meaning of the trainer's recorded instructions. Second, without the trainer's presence to continually back up recorded praise, shouts and instructions with rewards and punishments, the effectiveness of the device decreases in the trainer's absence.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,653 issued to Marishen et al. on Oct. 4, 1994 is based on a hand-held electronic device using positive audio tones in conjunction with negative ones, to encourage good behaviors while discouraging bad behaviors.
A problem with the above-mentioned training devices is that the trainer must be present to activate the devices, since performance of the behavior needs to be answered immediately in order for the training to be effective. Such devices do not address situations where the animal is left unattended.
The main behavior problems generally encountered with dogs are house soiling, excessive barking, house destruction and separation anxiety. Many dogs experience separation anxiety when left unattended or out of eyesight. Dogs affected with separation anxiety become extremely anxious and exhibit behaviors including chewing, barking, salivating, urinating and defecating at inappropriate locations, vomiting and escaping. Toys are generally provided to distract the distressed animal when left unattended. More particularly, toys which may be filled with food may be used to distract the animal over a longer period of time. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,828 issued to Houghton et al. on Sep. 6, 1994. However, once they are consumed, the animal is left to itself again. This only delays the exhibition of anxiety-related behaviors without eliminating same. At present, treatment of separation anxiety is limited to confining the animal in a crate, and house soiling and excessive barking are treated with invasive and non-reversible surgeries such as castration and ablation of the vocal cords.
Species such as horses also exhibit obsessive behaviors. A "cribbing" horse repetitively grabs an object such as a fence with its teeth, arches its neck and pulls the fence backward while swallowing air and grunting. Cribbing is an inappropriate chewing behavior which is not only detrimental to the horse's health, causing damage to teeth and colic, but also destroys fences, stalls and the like. At present, cribbing is treated with invasive methods including the surgical removal of muscles and the injection of drugs.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,603,290 issued on Sep. 7, 1971 to O'Rork describes a pet-operated toilet having a reward dispenser activated by the pet and connected by a circuit to a liquid sensor and a solid sensor, and which issues a reward when paw-activated by the pet upon sensing that the pet has relieved itself in the proper area. A problem with the above-mentioned toilet and dispenser is that considerable pretraining is necessary for the animal to learn how to work the toilet.
It would therefore be highly desirable to provide an automatic training device and method that would reward the animal for exhibiting a desired behavior in the caretaker's absence and would reduce or eliminate the exhibition of undesired behaviors by the animal without punishment thereof, especially in the caretaker's absence.
It would also be highly desirable to provide an automatic training device and method which would not require prior training or preparation of the trainer or trainee.